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Trudy meets apprentices in celebration of National Apprenticeship Week 2019

Trudy Harrison has met with apprentices to celebrate the return of National Apprenticeship Week 2019.

Marking the 12th annual campaign, Trudy joined a group of apprentices at Copeland Borough Council to hear more about their work at the local authority.

This week Mrs Harrison met a group of Copeland Borough Council’s apprentices, all of whom

Mrs Harrison, a member of the Apprenticeship Sector Delivery Board as well as one of the Government’s Apprenticeship Ambassadors heard more about their daily work and training along with their reasons for choosing an apprenticeship as a pathway to their career.

This year’s NAW campaign, ‘Fire It Up’, launched by the Department for Education last month, aims to raise awareness around the huge variety of apprenticeship options available for people of all ages and backgrounds as well as to showcase the opportunities that an apprenticeship can bring - both for individuals firing up their careers, and for employers blazing a trail in their business and reaping the benefits of employing an apprentice.

Mrs Harrison said: “As an Apprenticeship Ambassador and Co-Chair of the Apprenticeship Delivery Board I strongly support the Government’s efforts to highlight the opportunities and benefits that apprenticeships can offer. As we move forward, I would like to see apprenticeships gain the same status and merit among school leavers as going to university.

Recent government statistics reveal that 90 per cent of apprentices will gain employment or go into further training after finishing their apprenticeship.

Mrs Harrison added: “We must recognise apprenticeships as a ladder of opportunity to a brighter future, and demonstrate that they are available for all, whilst celebrating the benefits apprenticeships bring to employers and the impact apprentices can have on businesses and the wider economy.”

Last year, Mrs Harrison became one of the first MPs to take on a full-time degree apprentice.

A former student of St Benedict’s, Oliver Dorgan has been balancing his work for Mrs Harrison with a part-time degree at Manchester Metropolitan University in Business Management.

Mrs Harrison, continued: “Oliver has been a fantastic addition to my team, supporting me in both my parliamentary role and my work with constituents.”